Marriage Boosts Healthy Living - Study

A new study has shown that marriage appears to be good for health, boosting chances of survival, especially for people with a major heart risk factor such as high cholesterol. According to the researchers, a loving spouse might spur you on to look after yourself better. This was disclosed at the British Cardiovascular Society conference, based on their study of nearly a million adults in the United Kingdom (UK).

Although, all of the participants had high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes, the married ones fared much better than those who were single. Dr. Paul Carter and colleagues at Aston Medical School in the UK, who carried out the research, have already shown that marriage is linked to a better chance of surviving a heart attack.

Their latest research hints at why this might be. They suspect marriage helps buffer against big heart disease risk factors, including cholesterol and high blood pressure. Similarly, the protective effect was put down to increased social support and care, such as your spouse nagging you to make lifestyle changes and take medication. Last year, the same team behind this study were part of a group that found married people were more likely to survive a heart attack.
 
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognised union between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them, between them and their children, and between them and their in-laws. Marriage can be recognized by a state, an organisation, a religious authority, a tribal group, a local community, or peers.

It is often viewed as a contract. The study looked at deaths from all causes, including heart disease. Men and women in their 50s, 60s and 70s with high cholesterol were 16 per cent more likely to be alive at the end of the 14-year study if they were married rather than single.

The same was true for diabetes and high blood pressure, with married people having a survival advantage. The picture was less clear for people cohabiting, separated, divorced or widowed. Also, the researchers did not test if the wedded people were in happy marriages.

They suspect having someone special in your life is what’s important, rather than simply getting hitched. Carter said: “We need to unpick the underlying reasons a bit more, but it appears there’s something about being married that is protective, not only in patients with heart disease but also those with heart disease risk factors. “We’re not saying that everyone should get married though.

“We need to replicate the positive effects of marriage and use friends, family and social support networks in the same way.” Dr. Mike Knapton, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “The take-home message is that our social interactions, as well as medical risk factors such as high blood pressure, are important determinants of both our health and wellbeing.

“Whether you are married or not, if you have any of the main risk factors for heart disease, then you can call upon loved ones to help you to manage them.”

Categories: Lifestyles